I had the good fortune to create the Thailand Biotech Guide, which is now published annually, back in 2006. It gave me the opportunity to work with some very dedicated Thai individuals from government agencies and research institutes who were deeply involved in promoting and growing the local biotech sector, or what they called the Thai bioindustry. I much admire their strong commitment to their work, which allows them to achieve more with less resources. In my opinion, these individuals and others like them, are the most valuable assets in the industry and are critical to Thailand’s goal to become the region’s biotech hub.

Given my strong interest in the development of Thailand’s bioindustry, it gives me great pleasure to be the guest editor for this special issue of the Asia Pacific Biotech News. It is my hope that the articles will provide readers with deeper insights into selected areas that are important in Thailand’s biotech scene.

In Thailand, the use and application of biotechnology can be found in a number of areas including agriculture, food production, healthcare and green energy, just to name a few. Among these, agricultural and food biotechnology are especially important due to Thailand’s position as one of the world’s leading food producers.

This special edition opens with an article by Prof. Morakot Tanticharoen, the former executive director of BIOTEC who is a pioneer and leader in Thailand’s biotechnology scene. Prof. Morakot provides an overview of Thailand’s biotech scene and the things to come with the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community. The remaining four articles cover specific developments in rice research, the establishment of a new food innovation centre, Thailand’s manpower capability development initiatives, and research activities of a group looking to fight Typhus, a much neglected infectious disease that comes with a huge healthcare burden.

These are just a few interesting snapshots of some of the activities in Thailand’s biotech scene. Hopefully it will pique your interest sufficiently to find out more, and maybe lead to future collaborations with our colleagues in Thailand.

Marvin Ng
Principal Consultant, DN Venture Partners LLP

About the Guest Editor

Marvin Ng has been assisting life sciences companies with their business development needs since early 2000. He founded DN Venture Partners LLP (www.dn-venture.com) to provide one-stop-solutions to companies, from start-ups to MNCs, looking to expand their business activities in Asia and Europe. Marvin is also the co-editor of the Singapore Biotech Guide, Singapore Medical Engineering and Technology Guide (www.medtechsingapore.com) and Thailand Biotech Guide since 2002.